Details to follow! 

"Little Red Riding Hood" is paired with the Philadelphia premier of "The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge." 

Elise is thrilled to play the role of the Grandmother, and is very excited about the "living forest of trees" that will appear during Little Red's journey.

Misha Dutka is a a prolific composer whose works have been performed in Delaware, Philadelphia, and New York. His works are tonal paintings that stir the listener regardless of age; his body of work includes several children's operas in addition to his pieces that are intended for a more mature audience. 

We were wondering, what compels a composer to write works for children, so we thought we would ask! 

Why is it important to have opera written for children?
 
As the song goes, 'I believe that children are our future,' and nowhere is that truer than in the world of opera. As adults, we write children's books so children will learn to love reading, to love literature, and it should be no different with opera, or any other form of classical music. The opera-lovers of 2040, 2060 and 2080 are five-year-old children right now, and unless we constantly instill in each new generation an appreciation for the joy and wonder of opera, we run the risk of having this magical musical form relegated to a dying art, patronized only by an aging, dwindling clientele.
 
 What was the first live staged show you remember seeing? 
 
The Marriage of Figaro. I must have been five or six, and my parents took me to the City Opera. I liked music, especially Mozart, and I liked plays, and I remember thinking, 'Wow! It's a play with Mozart's music! What a great idea! Who thinks of these things?!'
 
Did you put on shows of your own as a child? Do any stand out in your memory? 
 
Yes, I put on little skits when I was in Grade School, and when I was in High School, I wrote my first play, which was produced by the drama department.
 
So many stories written for children have very dark moments or themes. Why do you think that is?
 
G.K. Chesterton wrote, 'Fairy takes do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.' Children know more than we give them credit for, and when we talk down to them, showing them worlds of love and light, without any hint of darkness, we not only lose their interest, we lose their trust, because they know we're not being honest and genuine with them. We can't appreciate the beauty of the sunlight without the shadows.
 
 What was your favorite story as a child? 
 
Depends on what age. When I was little, I love The Forgotten Door and A Wrinkle in Time. When I got old enough - The Hobbit, and of course, The Lord of The Rings.

Isaac Young may strike you as, well, young! But don't be fooled. The 24-year-old has 10 years of conducting, piano accompaniment and musical direction under his belt. 

As he takes the helm for DVOC's double bill of children's operas based on children's literature, The Little Red Light House and the Great Gray Bridge, and Little Red Riding Hood,  we thought it would be fun to learn a bit about Isaac's musical journey from child musician to Music Director, and his take on children's opera:

Why is it important to have opera written for children?
 
I have often found that there is a negative stigma amongst the general public when it comes to the term "opera." Many people I have discussed the topic with associate it with annoyingly dramatic voices and extremely long, heavy works that are portrayed as boring and lifeless, which could not be further from the truth. However despite this stigma, when I have spoken to someone who has seen a live opera they remember the experience fondly with deep reverence nearly every time. Operas can be about anything and are amongst the most compelling and exciting way to tell stories. This is why I believe it is important to have operas written for children such as the two we are presenting this November. Many children will have grown up with the stories The Little Red Lighthouse, and Little Red Riding Hood as they are popular children's tales. However, I truly believe that making the stories come alive through music, theatre, and drama will present these tales and capture the attention of children even more than simply re-telling aurally.   
 
What was the first live staged show you remember seeing? 
 
I grew up in a very musical family including both my immediate and extended. My cousins lived in a more rural area in western Wisconsin and their high school would present fully staged musicals that basically the entire school and community would support. I believe I was no older than four or five when I saw them present Oklahoma, The Sound of Music, and the King and I, which were in my first set of memories and I recall them being very well done. Most of my live experiences were attending or performing/directing high school and community theatre productions. It wasn't until I believe April of 2012 that I saw my first staged opera which was La Traviata and to be honest with you it didn't really grab me. It wasn't until a couple years later that I truly fell in love with opera. 
 
Did you put on shows of your own as a child? Do any stand out in your memory? 
 
I was never trained in theatre to say the least but yes, I was involved in shows all the time since I was probably about six or seven. My family was very involved in the church and my mother was talented as a community theatre director so she would head the drama productions through our church particularly around Christmas, Easter, and summer. Being the son of the director I was thrown into whatever spot was needed or which ones none of the other participants wanted which was often the lead role....even though I had no clue what I was doing I guess you can say I learned a lot. Over time as I got more involved musically with more serious productions, I much prefer to stay below the stage or in directorial roles. I would say my acting skills are "remedial" at best, so I'll leave that to the pros! 
 
So many stories written for children have very dark moments or themes. Why do you think that is? 
 
Coincidentally, we addressed this very topic with a French avant-garde opera I directed last summer called "Pacamambo" which is a children's opera dealing with a child's perspective on death and the afterlife. We as a cast and crew discussed this thoroughly both amongst ourselves and in our panel discussions and my take on the topic of darkness and depth being introduced at a young age is crucial for kids to begin developing an understanding of the world around us. Perhaps the most important aspect in my opinion is to encourage open discussion with children at their discretion when they feel ready on such topics. Children often have such curiosity and inquisition about the world and being able to open up and see all of the world the good, bad, and ugly is important which I think stories with darker themes can instigate such discussion. As long as the children aren't traumatized or disturbed by such themes which I would imagine would be up the discretion of the parents, there is a lot they can grasp on such depth which is one reason why I believe many authors embed such concepts into stories directed at children.
 
What was your favorite story as a child? 
 
There are so many, I loved stories as a child, and still do. I had a pretty eclectic taste as a child, I enjoyed Norse and Greek mythology, pretty anything by Hans Christian Anderson, Biblical stories, and many stories adapted by Disney. However, if I had to pick I would say probably the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer. I remember reading a children's version when I was maybe around eight and being utterly fascinated by it and tried to read the full unabridged which didn't go well, obviously. I eventually did read the full version when I was in college and still enjoyed it just as much as I did then.

Foolish mortals who try to match wits with the devil forget one important detail: the devil always cheats! See how the story plays out for the man who goes up against Mephistopheles in DVOC's production of FAUST.

Performance Dates: August 4 & 8@ 8pm
                                             August 12@ 3pm
All performances take place at Venice Island Performing Arts and Recreation Center, 7 Lock Street, Philadelphia, 19127

Tickets:  $20 for members, seniors and students with ID
                   $25 for non-mmebers
                   $10 for children ages 12 and under
                   Available at the door at online at www.dvopera.org